First class of Peninsula dentists celebrate graduation

The first class of dental students from the Peninsula Dental School have celebrated their graduation.

The multimillion pound dental school, which was established to address a shortage of dentists in the South West, was the first new school to open in the UK for forty years. The school opened in Plymouth in 2007 and four years later the first class of students have successfully completed the course and are now embarking on their new careers.

Of the 47 graduates, it has been confirmed that 30 dentists will take up training posts in Devon and Cornwall; the 30 new dentists will now work for NHS trusts across Devon and Cornwall.

In the past, there have been real problems with access to NHS dental services in parts of Devon and Cornwall; in 2004 the BBC reported that only 42 percent of people living in Teignbridge had access to an NHS dentist and dental practices that have made more places available have received thousands of applications from residents.

Health bosses in Devon and Cornwall have expressed their delight at the opening of the new school and the prospect of thirty new dentists working in the area; this will undoubtedly increase the number of places available in the area and this looks set to continue in the future, as more dentists graduate from the Peninsula Dental School.